DUBAI: The Dubai Capitals clinched a thrilling last-ball victory against the Desert Vipers on Wednesday, securing their place in the final of the DP World ILT20 season three.

In a nail-biting finish at the Dubai International Stadium, an all-round masterclass from Gulbadin Naib — featuring a third consecutive half-century against the Vipers, and a two-wicket haul — propelled the Capitals to a five-wicket win.

The triumph not only marked the second-highest run chase in T20s at the venue but also extended the Capitals’ dominance over the Vipers with their fifth consecutive win against the side.

Earlier in the evening, Alex Hales lit up the innings with a blistering 67 off just 32 balls, forging a 98-run partnership with Max Holden to give the Vipers a flying start. However, the Capitals fought back brilliantly with the ball, restricting the Vipers to 189/7 and setting the stage for a dramatic chase.

Chasing a steep target amidst the pressure of a playoff, the Dubai Capitals had a steady powerplay of 47 runs without losing any wickets. Adam Rossington struck Sam Curran for three boundaries in the fifth over to make his intentions clear, but the Capitals were already falling behind.

Meanwhile, Shai Hope mustered a run-a-ball knock of 17 runs before he was claimed by Wanindu Hasaranga in the seventh over. The runs dried up after the first six overs and the situation worsened when Lockie Ferguson cleaned up Rossington for 44 runs in 31 balls in the 10th over to bring the scoreline to 67/2.

Naib and skipper Sam Billings were tasked with recalibrating the run chase and the pair got to work quickly. Billings attacked Mohammad Amir in the 12th over, hitting two fours and a six, then reverse-swept Hasaranga for three fours and a six in the next over. However, a mix-up led to his run-out in the same over, cutting short his explosive innings at 38 runs off 16 balls.

Naib motored on as he was joined by Rovman Powell. The Capitals needed 52 runs from 30 balls. Powell raced to 20 runs before he was scalped by David Payne in the 18th over. The Capitals required 12 in the last over and Naib was lucky to squeeze six runs off the first two balls. He was dropped by Dhruv Parashar on the next ball but perished a ball later with the scores tied. Sikandar Raza struck a boundary on the last ball to seal the run chase.

In the first innings, the UAE’s Farhan Khan removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz to give the Capitals a breakthrough in the first over. The powerplay belonged to the Vipers as Hales and Holden steered them to 64/1 in six overs. Hales, who was particularly destructive, was dropped in the fifth over. The same over would see 14 runs as the error proved costly.

Hales dispatched Raza for two consecutive sixes in the seventh over as he brought up a 28-ball fifty. He smashed seven fours and cleared the ropes thrice to reach the milestone for the ninth time in the DP World ILT20.

The Dubai Capitals bounced back to derail the Vipers’ onslaught. While the first seven overs had seen 84 runs, the next seven overs only produced 45 runs, courtesy of tight spells from the spin duo of Haider Ali and Qais Ahmad.

Though Holden was the more conservative partner, the pair had put on 98 runs in 52 balls until Naib caught Hales off his own bowling in the ninth over. Naib was in action again as Holden holed out to him at long-on, off Ahmad, for 36 runs in 26 balls. The Vipers were at 107/3 in 10.1 overs.

Curran and Dan Lawrence moved with caution, preserving their wicket as the Vipers limped to 136/3 in 15 overs. Curran broke the shackles with two sixes off Qais, but was caught by Naib in the same over, for 24 runs in 21 balls.

While Rutherford and Hasaranga departed cheaply, Lawrence found a few more boundaries but departed for 35 runs to Dushmantha Chameera in the 19th over. It was Khuzaima Tanveer’s late flourish of 15 runs in five deliveries including a six and two fours in the final over that helped the Vipers post 189/7 in 20 overs. 

Player of the Match Naib said: “When you played a good game in the past, you remind yourself of that. I was reminded of the previous fifties I got. I took some time at the start. I can play at any position.

“Number three now is my lucky number. I have opened as well so I can bat anywhere. We played a lot of cricket here in Dubai. It was a pressure game, and I love pressure games. With the ball, I used the surface. I used my variations a lot.”

The Desert Vipers’ captain Ferguson commented: “It was a tough night. It was a great game of cricket, obviously dew came on and made the game difficult for us. We were unfortunate not to have come out on top. I thought it was a great total but it’s T20 cricket. Alex Hales played very well earlier.”

The MI Emirates will take on the Sharjah Warriorz in the eliminator on Thursday. The winner of the encounter will face the Dubai Capitals for a place in the final.

Brief scores

Dubai Capitals beat Desert Vipers by 5 wickets

Desert Vipers 189/7 in 20 overs (Alex Hales 67, Max Holden 36, Dan Lawrence 35, Gulbadin Naib 2 for 25, Qais Ahmad 2 for 29)

Dubai Capitals 193/5 in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 62, Adam Rossington 44, Sam Billings 38, Lockie Ferguson 2 for 32, David Payne 1 for 31)